West Ham United defender Pablo Zabaleta has said he would like to play in Italy before the end of his career.

The 33-year-old is in his second season at the London Stadium following his free transfer from Manchester City in the summer of 2017 and has rolled back the years with some impressive performances in recent weeks.

Reunited with his former manager at the Etihad Stadium in Manuel Pellegrini, the Argentine is keeping Ryan Fredericks out of the team at the moment and is showing no signs of being displaced at the moment.

He managed to shackle Eden Hazard and Marcos Alonso in the goalless draw against London rivals Chelsea and then recorded an assist in the 3-1 victory over Manchester United last weekend.

“I came close to joining Roma in the past," Zabaleta told Sky Sport Italia, as reported by Calciomercato . "They offered me a three-year contract and I thought that could be a positive experience for me.

"However, Guardiola took over at Manchester City and he told me that he needed me to stay so in the end I didn’t join Roma.

“It’s a decision I took with my heart even though I’ve always thought that I’d like to play in Italy one day."